ByBrian Tallerico,
a film critic with over 20 years of experience covering movies and TV.He is the president of the Chicago Film Critics Association, the co-producer of the Chicago Critics Film Festival, and managing editor of RogerEbert.com.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die.Photo: Frank Masi/Sony Pictures
This list is frequently updated as titles leave and join Netflix. *New additions are indicated with an asterisk.
Netflix has made headlines by investing in highbrow dramas that win Oscars. But sometimes you don’t want that! Sometimes you just want to escape the increasingly insane world out there into an action movie. Netflix has made a few of their own, but the bulk of the best action films on their service are still Hollywood blockbusters from ‘90s modern classics to more recent box office hits to films that may have slipped under your radar. From Matt Reeves to Steven Spielberg, here are the best action movies currently on Netflix.
How We Pick Our Films
Critic Brian Tallerico watches and writes about movies and TV every day. To curate this list, he dives into Netflix’s catalogue every month to surface exciting, white-knuckle action titles — using his taste and a lifetime of cinema study as his guide, instead of whatever the algorithm happens to be pushing. After triple-checking to make sure they’re still available, he watches each and writes his recommendation. We highlight more than just the thrilling crowdpleasers: Filmmakers use action to punctuate drama, lighten or heighten the mood of a movie, and explosively make an impact on cinema. Read on to find something to watch.
1917
Year: 2019 Runtime: 1h 59m Director: Sam Mendes
This Oscar winner doesn’t land on streaming services very often, so take this chance while you can. Sam Mendes directs a visceral recounting of a personal story told to him by his grandfather about his time in World War I, allowing the harrowing journey of a British soldier (George MacKay) to unfold in one unforgettable, unbroken shot.
Zack Snyder’s 2007 hit really changed the game in terms of action storytelling, influencing the next decade of the genre in ways that still feel underappreciated. Based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, Gerard Butler leads the cast of this highly stylized period action film that downright exudes testosterone.
It’s a little harder to watch this movie now given what we know about some of its cast, but it’s still such a remarkably well-made piece of action filmmaking, the kinetically unforgettable story of a getaway driver who knows all the best tunes. Ansel Elgort, Jamie Foxx, and Lily James may be the stars of this movie, but it’s Wright’s showmanship that really steals the spotlight.
Year: 2024 Runtime: 1h 56m Director: Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah
One of Will Smith’s first post-slap flicks proved that people were willing to let that go and jump back into the lives of Mike Lowery and Marcus Burnett. This fourth film in a surprisingly revitalized franchise is basically the same as the last one, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and enough people enjoyed Ride or Die to net it over $400 million worldwide.
Year: 2022 Runtime: 2h 21m Director: Timo Tjahjanto
Have you seen The Night Comes for Us? You would remember if you have because director Timo Tjahjanto is a maniac, a madman who choreographs and shoots action scenes like no one else in the world right now. He returned in late 2022 for his Netflix original about a group of assassins who are forced into action when someone kills their mentor. It’s kind of like a live-action Looney Tunes with bazookas.
Tom Cruise gives one of his most fascinating performances as Vincent, the passenger to Jamie Foxx’s L.A. cab driver on a very fateful night. It turns out that Vincent is a hitman, and he needs Foxx’s character to drive him on a killing spree in this tense, gorgeously-shot thriller from the masterful craftsman Michael Mann.
Also known as Live Die Repeat, this is one of the best video game movies even if it’s not technically a video game movie. But think about it. It’s about a guy (Tom Cruise) who respawns every time he dies, taking what he learned from the previous attempt to try and defeat an alien race. That’s kind of how video games work. Edge of Tomorrow rules, partially because it also includes a fantastic Emily Blunt supporting performance.
The director of Suicide Squad (the first one) is one of our more divisive blockbuster filmmakers, but everyone seems to agree that this 2014 war movie is among his best. Not only is the story of an American tank crew tightly made, but it features one of Ayer’s strongest cast, and one of the strongest of any war movie in the modern era, including Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Pena, and Jon Bernthal, all totally bringing it.
Netflix stunned people when they stealthily dropped this worldwide hit on their service on June 1st, making a movie that wasn’t even on VOD finally available at home. The winner of the Oscar for Best Visual Effects, Godzilla Minus One is a masterful blend of action and social commentary, considered by many to be among the best in this generations-spanning franchise.
Year: 2021 Runtime: 2h 19m Director: Jeymes Samuel
The Harder They Fall came and went too fast in late 2021 and deserves to find a bigger audience on Netflix. The phenomenal Jonathan Majors stars in this stylish Western with tons of attitude, memorable characters, and brilliant set pieces. He’s joined by Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, Danielle Deadwyler, and many more in a film that feels like it will become bigger as its incredible cast become acting legends.
Year: 2023 Runtime: 1h 59m Director: David Fincher
Michael Fassbender gives his best performance in years as an icy hired assassin who struggles to hold things together when a job goes horribly wrong. It’s a movie about a self-proclaimed perfectionist who is constantly defying his own voiceover, a great film that’s alternately hysterical and thrilling. One of the best of 2023.
This loose adaptation of the ‘60s TV show looked like it was going to be a major summer blockbuster, but it kind of ended up a box office bomb, killing a potential franchise before it really began. In part because of that fate, it’s developed a loyal cult following, people who adore its undeniably cool blend of action and a few of the most beautiful people in the world. With the recent success of Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen on Netflix, it’s a perfect time to chase that experience with this superior film.
The fun new reboot series may be over on Prime, but Netflix has the one that started it all: The movie that gave the world Brangelina. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt star as a seemingly ordinary suburban couple who discover that they both have secret identities as competing assassins. When they get assignments to kill each other, all hell breaks loose.
Year: 2024 Runtime: 2h 11m Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Future superstar Aaron Pierre stars in the latest from the phenomenal director behind Blue Ruin and Green Room, proving again that he is one of the best at tight action filmmaking. Wasting no time, Rebel Ridge opens with Pierre’s character essentially robbed by smalltown cops while he’s trying to take bail money to his cousin. The former military specialist doesn’t take that well. This is one of the best Netflix originals in a long time. (Streaming September 6.)
One of the biggest films in the world in 2022, this crazy action flick really took off in the United States when it dropped on Netflix. It’s hard to put into words just how much movie you get with RRR. It’s kind of all the movies — musical, romance, comedy, action, drama. Whatever you’re looking for, it’s in here. You’ll want to watch it twice.
Year: 2024 Runtime: 2h 25m Director: Timo Tjahjanto
The maniacal director of The Night Comes for Us returns to Netflix with a chaotic epic about an assassin who revolts against her handlers. Basically, it’s Tjahjanto’s take on the La Femme Nikita story with a young woman trained to be a killer who turns on her own training when she befriends a young boy. None of the plotting matters as much as Tjahjanto’s insane action choreography, which has to be seen to be believed.
Year: 2023 Runtime: 2h 20m Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
What a gift to Netflix subscribers for this to already be on the service so soon after playing in theaters and landing on Blu-ray. This is how you do a big-budget blockbuster sequel, developing the themes of the first movie and setting up the stake for what now appears will be one of the best trilogies in superhero history. Packed with so much detail and creativity, it’s a film you’ll want to watch over and over again.
One of the most underrated Netflix originals, this film was written by Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker) and directed by the man who helmed Margin Call. The great ensemble here includes Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal in the story of a group of former U.S. soldiers who plan and (poorly) execute a heist in South America. Triple Frontier is an old-fashioned action movie with a great modern cast.
One of the biggest movies of the last decade is a Chinese film that most people in the United States haven’t even seen. Making almost $700 million worldwide, The Wandering Earth is the kind of blockbuster that the MCU kind of pushed out – a crazy, end-of-the-world disaster movie with a Roland Emmerich aesthetic and ridiculous special effects. It’s almost overwhelming in its onslaught of crazy but sometimes you just want to see things go boom on a massive scale. Note: There’s a sequel in theaters now that will hopefully be on Netflix soon too.
Before they were household names, Emma Stone and Jesse Eisenberg rocked this story of a group of misfits united by the zombie apocalypse. If you’re wondering why people clamored for a sequel for the entirety of the ‘10s, do yourself a favor and catch up with this very clever movie before you catch up with the sequel. (And then maybe skip the sequel altogether.)
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